


Wake Me Up

by WillowRavenBloodstone



Series: Survival of the Fittest [2]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Gen, M/M, Pre-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-17 21:40:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1403386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowRavenBloodstone/pseuds/WillowRavenBloodstone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The life of Caroline and Mickey Rosales before and during the events of Survival of the Fittest. These are bits of their story that I want to write but don't quite fit into the main fic. Will be updated when the events are referred to in the main story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nothin' But A Good Time

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is just me warming up for writing some smut. It's been a while since I have, and I may have lost my touch, so I'm trying to find it again.

“Where did Dad go again?” Caroline asked when Mickey set her breakfast down in front of her. He put the rest of the dishes in the sink and told himself he’d take care of them later. He was ready to get outside and enjoy the beautiful day.

“He’s out with the other rangers.” He answered, sitting down across from her to eat his own breakfast. He ate quickly, not even really tasting the eggs and toast. He wasn’t the best cook anyhow.

“I know that. But where did he go?” Caroline asked, exasperated. She ate her food just as quickly, but it was more to get it over as soon as possible.

“You know he doesn’t tell me. Hurry up and eat. Everyone will be down by the lake already.” Mickey scraped the rest of his eggs onto the toast and stood up again, dumping his plate into the sink along with the rest of them and eating what was left of his toast.

“Maria won’t be. Her mom doesn’t let her out until later. Says its not safe, even though Ranger Price and Ranger Adams have said it’s fine.” Caroline finished her breakfast quickly as well and then slid off her chair and put her plate in the sink as well.

“Maria’s parents are vault dwellers and still not used to the wasteland. C’mon, lets go, slowpoke.” Mickey pulled on his boots and laced them up quickly. Caroline did the same, although Mickey knew that the second they reached the lake, her boots would be tugged off and her pants rolled up and she’d be splashing in the water.

The two of them made their way through the settlement, waving at some of the other citizens who were going about their business that morning. The Rosales siblings were a common sight, and everyone knew them. But they were almost never seen without their third companion.

“It’s never hard to see who got the good looks in your family.” Tall, powerfully built, and devastatingly handsome to nine year old Caroline’s eyes, Daniel Hunt was their constant companion. The child of a ranger as well, he stayed behind when the rangers left the camp. He was part of their standing security force, and had seen his fair share of battle, but there was always a rakish grin on his lips.

“Hi Daniel.” Caroline blushed and shyly dipped her head. She had a crush on her brother’s friend but hadn’t shared it with anyone except Maria. The two often giggled when they got together, Maria having a crush on Mickey.

“If you’re done.” Mickey stared at Daniel, rolling his eyes when Daniel winked at him.

“I’m just getting started, but we can go.” Daniel fell into place next to Mickey and the three continued down to the shoreline. Caroline skipped happily ahead, singing a song to herself. Mickey and Daniel smiled at her actions and chatted briefly about some of the issues the settlement had before reaching the lake.

It was the birthday of one of the elders, and there was a sort of celebration going on. Mickey never missed a party, no matter how tame, but this one would certainly liven up as the day went through. Sure enough, Caroline made a beeline towards the water, and he checked up on her occasionally. She was a good swimmer, and the lake was free of any aggressive creatures so he wasn’t worried about her too much.

Mickey settled down on a rock and Daniel sat next to him, and they both kept an eye on the festivities, even if they didn’t actively participate.

“Are we still on for tonight?” Daniel asked, smiling suggestively at Mickey. Mickey grinned back at him.

“Of course. Hopefully Victor and Laura let Caroline spend the night with Maria. They’ve been more paranoid of late though, so I’m not sure if they will.” Mickey looked at Daniel, obviously dragging his eyes down the chest concealed by a thin t-shirt. He loved the sculpted muscles beneath, muscles formed by constant exercise.

“Even if they don’t, you know I have ways of keeping you quiet.” Daniel laughed, slow and sultry, and Mickey felt a tightening in his pants when he remembered the last time they had to be quiet. It was one of the hottest nights of his life, and he wouldn’t mind reliving it.

“Win/win then, isn’t it?” Mickey wanted to reach out and touch Daniel, wanted to drag him behind the rocks, but his responsibility for his sister kept him from doing it.

“Mickey! Look what I found!” Said sister ran up, clutching something in her hand. Daniel winked at Mickey again and started to climb the rocks, hopping to each one with ease. Micky crossed his legs and focused on his sister, vowing to take revenge on Daniel later.

“It’s blue! I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Caroline held out her hand.A  small piece of glass, polished smooth,  was in her palm. It was a deep blue and it was indeed unique. Mickey smiled at her, admiring her find.

“It’s beautiful. You should put it in your shoes, so you don’t forget it when you go home later.” Mickey suggested. Caroline nodded, looking like it hadn’t occurred to her, and tucked the small object into her shoe. She then turned and watched Daniel moving along the rocks. Mickey reached out and stopped her when she made to climb up after him.

“It’s not safe.” Mickey insisted, getting stern when she pouted.

“Oh, come on, Mickey. It’s fine. She’s as surefooted as a mountain goat. She won’t fall.” Daniel insisted, spinning around on one foot. Mickey sighed, turning to Daniel to argue with him. Instead he watched in horror as Daniel lost his balance and toppled backwards with a shout.

“Daniel? Daniel!” Mickey shouted, jumping off his rock and towards the water. Several other people heard the shout and moved to help as well. Heart in his throat, Mickey scrambled over the rocks towards where Daniel had fallen, hoping that he had just fallen in the water. People had fallen on these rocks before, sustaining a myriad of injuries.

“Don’t think I've ever heard you say my name like that before.” Daniel stood up with a laugh, shaking water out of his shaggy black hair. Green eyes twinkled merrily. Mickey collapsed with a sigh of relief. He climbed down from the rocks carefully, watching Daniel move back towards them. Relief at seeing him uninjured turned to anger.

“You could have been hurt, you stupid bastard.” Mickey growled when Daniel dropped onto the ground in front of him. Caroline pushed her way past Mickey and wrapped her arms around Daniel’s waist with a happy smile.

“I’m glad you’re okay!” She said and Daniel put his arm around the girl’s shoulders.

“Me too. It’s a good thing you listen to your brother and not me, huh?” Daniel replied to the little girl, who stepped back and looked at the two older guys.

“Maybe you should listen to him too.” Caroline suggested and Daniel laughed. He smiled down at her and Mickey couldn't help but smile too. It was obvious to him (and to everyone) that Caroline was the little sister that Daniel never had.

“I’ll think about it. Look, Maria’s finally free of her mother’s overprotective parenting. Why don’t you go say hi and I’ll see what I can do about that sour look on your brother’s face, hmm?” Daniel suggested, pointing behind Caroline towards another girl. She was fair skinned and had a mop of bright red curls, and would undoubtedly be quite red at the end of this Arizona spring day.  Caroline dashed off, her brown ponytail bouncing behind her as she ran to catch up with her friend.

“I have half a mind to kill you, you know.” Mickey said once they were alone. Daniel rolled his eyes and the familiar cheerful grin was back on his face. He tucked his hands into his pockets and turned to watch Caroline splash back into the water, Maria right behind her.

“You’ll just settle for forcing me to pass out later.” Daniel retorted, tongue darting out to moisten his lips. Mickey watched the movement, desire surging through him once again. It was his turn to give a rakish grin.

“Why wait til later, when I can punish you now?” Mickey growled, tossing a final look towards Caroline. Ranger Price was at the water line, keeping an eye on the kids in the water. She’d be perfectly safe for a while.

“She’ll be fine for ten minutes. C’mon.” Daniel tugged on Mickey’s hand, pulling him away from the lake and back towards the village itself. Daniel had his own small place they often used for their trysts, and it’d be empty right now.

“Ten minutes? I’m offended that you think I’ll only last that long.” Mickey said, following Daniel quickly. They avoided as many people as they could, not wanting to be stopped by anyone who wanted a quick chat.

“That’s what Madison has been telling everyone.” Daniel threw a smirk over his shoulder. Mickey slid to a halt with a scowl. Madison Jacobson was the biggest thorn in his side. And he didn’t even break up with her. She took care of that.

“Is she still pissed about that? For fuck’s sake, I had been on patrol all day. All I wanted was a bath and sleep.” Mickey grumbled. Daniel rolled his eyes and tugged on Mickey, urging him along again.

“You know what they say about her : No one tells Madison Jacobson no.” Daniel remarked, opening the door to his place and shoving Mickey inside. MIckey stumbled, and then recovered himself and kicked off his boots. Daniel bolted the door and reached for Mickey’s belt.

“You did, if I’m not mistaken.” Mickey reached for the buttons on Daniel’s shirt, working them as quickly as his fingers would allow. He felt his belt tugged out of the loops and then Daniel’s fingers were at the buttons, working them open quickly.  Mickey gave up on the shirt and reached for Daniel’s pants, tugging them open quickly.

“You’re mistaken. Sixteen year old me knew better than to say no.” Daniel reached inside Mickey’s pants and wrapped his hand around Mickey’s length. Mickey groaned  and leaned over, pressing his face into Daniel’s neck.

“Remind me to make fun of you later.” Mickey said, gasping when Daniel’s hand began to move, sliding gently across him. Mickey managed to get into Daniel’s pants and mimicked him. The two stumbled backwards towards the small bedroom, kissing each other fiercely instead of talking any longer.  

Clothing was stripped, Mickey’s t-shirt being lifted over his head. Daniel’s shirt was pulled open and Mickey’s teeth went to work on the now exposed skin, scraping across pectoral, a tongue coming behind teasingly. Jeans and underpants were tugged down and kicked off, and the two collapsed backwards onto Daniel’s bed.

Daniel reached backwards for the nightstand and the bottle of oil stored within. It was some silly women’s skincare product from before the War, but it worked for them and Mickey didn’t know what they’d do when it ran out, because it worked perfectly for them.

“You want to hurry up there?” Mickey rocked his hips against Daniel’s, feeling the other man’s hardness against his hipbone. Daniel laughed and flipped open the cap of the small bottle, squeezing a small amount into his palm.

“I should make you wait.” Daniel retorted, shoving Mickey back with his other hand. Daniel slicked the oil over his erection, tugging at himself a few times and giving Mickey a teasing stare. Mickey growled in frustration and climbed over his lover  smacking Daniel’s hand away to take ahold of him.

Daniel reached out and tangled a hand in Mickey’s hair, pulling him closer and kissing him again, pulling on Mickey’s lower lip with his teeth. Daniel’s other hand pulled on Mickey’s cock, guiding him to press against his own. Hips arched up and Mickey moaned long and low and the delicious friction.

Mickey rocked against Daniel, gasping for breath. Daniel was moaning beneath him, eyes closed and teeth worrying at his lower lip. Mickey nipped at Daniel’s neck, licking at each bite after, relishing the way the man squirmed beneath him as he did so.

Mickey would never admit this, but spending time in bed with a lover, Daniel in particular. There was no Wasteland, no patrols to do, no Legion to worry about, no Caroline to keep an eye on. There was only the pleasure to be had, the intimate way lovers bared their souls to Mickey. As the pleasure between the two built, the outside world faded entirely.

“Mickey… I..I...I love you.” Daniel gasped against Mickey’s ear. Mickey felt Daniel trembling beneath him, at his limit. Mickey ground his hips against Daniel, pushing Daniel over the edge. The added slickness of Daniel’s come splashing into their palms drove Mickey wild, and followed Daniel into orgasm with a shout.

“Love you too, you bastard.” Mickey murmured into Daniel’s neck, breathing deeply. His free hand caressed Daniel’s cheek gently. He was aware that his full weight was resting on Daniel, but he couldn’t find the strength to move. Daniel was warm and comfortable beneath him. If he wasn't careful, the way the man’s chest moved when he breathed would lull him to sleep.

“We should probably get back before Caroline sneaks out of Price’s line of sight.” Daniel said after a moment and Mickey felt fingers trace up and down his spine and sighed.

“Yeah. Probably. If Maria tags along again I’ll never hear the end of it from Victor and Laura.” Mickey mumbled and rolled off Daniel.

“Oh thank God. I think you put on weight.” Daniel said, taking several theatrical deep breaths. Mickey kicked him gently and climbed out of bed, heading towards the bathroom.

“Keep it up, Hunt, and we’ll see if you ever get to be on top again.”

It was early afternoon by the time the two of them made it back to the shore line, and Caroline was thankfully still there, eating whatever celebratory meal had been made. Maria sat beside her, her cheeks already bright pink. Mickey made a note to find her parents and get her out of the sun.

“Hey, Mickey, I’ll see you later. I’ve gotta go make my rounds.” Daniel said, nodding towards the group of men gathering a little ways off. They were all armed and they were part of the security force that patrolled the area to keep them safe from raiders and various packs of wasteland creatures. It was important now more than ever, as they had been receiving reports of Caesar’s Legion pushing towards them.

“Alright. I’ll leave the door open for you later. Be careful.” Mickey said as Daniel walked away. The man turned around and looked at Mickey with a cheerful grin.

“Always, Rosales.”


	2. Ranger in Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourteen year old Mickey goes out with his father for some father/son bonding time.

“This isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” Mickey remarked, swiping the back of his hand across his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes.

Oscar Rosales looked down at his son with a smirk.

“It gets harder, trust me. I’m starting you off with something easy.” He said, continuing forward. Mickey kept up, his long legs moving him along at the same pace his father was going. Mickey wasn’t about to say he was tired, but he wouldn’t mind sitting down for a minute. But his father didn’t seem like he was going to stop any time soon.

“I can’t keep you away too long. Your mother would have my neck.” Oscar continued. Mickey envied the way he moved easily along despite the gear on his back and the weight of his weapon. One day, Mickey thought, ignoring the way his legs were starting to ache.

“Mama gets lonely when you’re gone.” Mickey replied, stepping carefully around obstacles as they moved through the desert. It was lessened by Mickey being around, but he knew that while they were out here, she’d be incredibly lonely. And worried. Mama did love to worry.

“I know. She makes me feel guilty about it all the time.” Oscar smiled and then paused and pointed off in the distance.

“Over there. That’s where we’ll make camp tonight.” He said and then started walking again. Mickey, determined to convince his father that he could do this, set his mind to keep moving and pushed away any discomfort he had.

“Is that all?” He shrugged and pushed forward, putting his father behind him.

Oscar shook his head with a grin.

* * *

 

It was hard to hide his relief at settling down for the night. Their tent was set up and Mickey gathered some brush and bits of wood to start a fire. They sat beside it, eating their dinner and chatting lightly about this and that for a while until Oscar grew quiet.

“Son...Your mother and I have been talking, and I told her I’d ask your opinion on it. I’m going to be taking out out more often, and I don’t want her to be lonely. How would you feel about a brother or sister?” Oscar asked, finishing off the rest of his jerky and staring over at his son.

Mickey frowned in distaste. Not at the thought of a sibling. No, he’d love a brother or sister to take care of, to bond with, to be a companion. Sure, he was fourteen and there’d be a significant age gap, but just imagine if he had a little sister! He’d get to play the older intimidating brother card. And if he had a little brother, he’d get to teach them how to play ball, how to shoot (although Dad would probably be involved with that too), how to pick up girls when he was older.

No, his face was due to the thought of his parents and how they’d go about giving him another brother or sister.

“Not into it?” Oscar asked when Mickey didn’t respond. Mickey turned his attention to his father.

“No! I mean, yes. I mean….I’d love a brother or sister. I was just thinking about…...well, c’mon Dad. That’s a little gross.” Mickey said, staring into the fire. Oscar laughed heartily and reached over to clasp his son on the shoulder.

“How do you think you got here? Besides, I heard about you and...what was her name? Nora? Don’t tell me that it’s gross.” Oscar shook Mickey a bit, grinning over at Mickey. Mickey was glad that it was mostly dark and his father couldn’t see the flush rising up on his cheeks.

“It’s just weird to think about you and mom doing….that. Ugh.” Mickey shuddered and chased the thoughts away with the idea of a sibling to spend time with.

“So don’t think about it. And start sleeping with your bedroom door closed.” Oscar teased and then climbed up from his seat.

“Wake me up in four hours for my watch.” Oscar said and crawled into their tent to sleep. Mickey sighed and leaned back, staring up at the stars. He didn’t mind first watch and was glad that his father allowed him to have it. Once Mickey was asleep, he wanted to stay asleep for as long as possible.  He looked at his watch to check the time and settled in for his watch.

Four hours went by quickly with Mickey thinking about all the different reasons why he’d love a sibling. Sure, he had plenty of friends but it wasn’t the same. He wanted to be able to say ‘hey, that’s my sister.’ Or brother, whatever the case may be.

He really wanted a sister though, even though it wasn’t like he had a choice.

Mickey carefully moved into the tent and woke his father for his turn to keep watch. Mickey envied the way his father could be alert in just a few seconds and hoped that he’d one day learn that skill. Resting his head on his pack as a makeshift pillow, Mickey was asleep by the time his father made it out of the tent.

A couple hours later, Mickey woke to the sound of growling. Freezing, he waited to come into total consciousness before he made any decisions. It took longer than he’d like, but it was quicker than most. He heard the growling again and sat up carefully, letting his eyes adjust to the near darkness. The moon filtered through the tent material but it was the only light as the fire had died down.

Outside the tent he could see faint outlines moving around the campsite. Coyotes, it looked like, since he couldn’t hear the telltale rattle of nightstalkers. They’d be easy enough to deal with and he reached for his gun.

Only to find it gone. His father’s bedroll was also gone and Mickey frowned, confused. And then realization dawned on him. His father had left him out here on purpose. To teach him a lesson.

Well, Mickey did want to learn, so if his father felt like this was necessary…It was annoying though. Mickey took a moment to think about what he had. Just a knife, which he could still feel tucked into his boot, and whatever he had in his pack. His father wouldn’t leave him completely helpless.

And then Mickey remembered the tiny .22 pistol he stashed in his pack when they came across an abandoned shack out in the middle of the desert. It had a few rounds in it and appeared to be in working order. He would have noticed if Dad got into his pack to take that.

He’d have to make every shot count though, as he didn’t have any extra ammo or magazines for it and he wasn’t actually sure how many coyotes there were.

Slowly, silently, he pulled the small pistol out of his pack  and ejected the magazine to count the rounds. It made some sound as it exited the gun and outside there was more growling. He glanced up and noticed that one coyote was poking its head into the tent.

Well, here goes nothing, he thought as he replaced the magazine and flicked the safety off.

He lurched into motion, tugging his knife free from its sheath and rolling out of the way of the coyote as it lunged. He pulled the trigger once but nothing happened, and then cursed and pulled it again. This time, a round exploded out of it, and despite the small bullet, the close range killed the animal quickly.

Outside he heard three different snarling sounds. Three more to go then. He propelled himself out of the tent and started moving away from the campsite. He knew he wouldn’t outrun them, but he could turn around and get a few precious seconds to judge the situation.

That’s precisely what he did and was able to take down one of the coyotes before it was on him with another well placed shot. However, he missed the second one and as he lined up another shot the pistol clicked, telling him it was empty, a sound he didn’t want to hear. Dodging the lunge of both remaining animals, Mickey tossed the gun aside and transferred his knife to his dominant hand.

Both animals circled him, growling, and Mickey adjusted his stance, keeping a careful eye on both creatures as they tried to get behind him. He was smarter than they were. He wouldn’t let himself think that his father was still around somewhere in case he needed help. He had to believe that he was truly on his own.

One of them snapped at him, and Mickey lashed out, catching the animal’s muzzle with the sharp blade. It whined in pain and backed off a bit. The other decided that a full out attack was the best plan and jumped at him. He spun to the left to let the animal go by him and reached out with his knife, stabbing into the animal’s tender side and creating a deep, fatal wound. It fell to the ground, whimpering.

The other one  snarled and jumped at Mickey and this one he wasn’t quick enough to evade. It caught his left arm just below the elbow and latched on. Mickey cried out in pain, but he knew it wasn’t a serious injury, thanks to the leather armor that he slept in. It would prevent most of the damage. It gave him an opportunity to finish the fight by taking his right hand and the knife under his left arm and stabbing the remaining animal in the gut.

It released his arm and fell and Mickey took a few steps back to evaluate the situation again.

Two animals were dead, and the other two were dying. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he approached both animals carefully and quickly ended their life with a swift movement of his knife. Despite their attack he wasn’t angry with them. They were just doing what they had to do to survive, as did he. He wouldn’t let them suffer.

After it was done, Mickey dropped to the ground, exhausted. He knew he needed to get the fire going again to look at the damage to his arm, but right now all he could think about is how he wanted another hour or two of sleep. Scrubbing at his eyes, he moved carefully back to the fire and dug his lighter from his pocket.

In the small amount of light from the moon, he gathered a few more pieces of tiner and coaxed them into flame. His fire grew quickly and soon it was large enough to discourage any other creatures from coming near him. Still, he kept a stick pointing out of the fire to use as a torch and bludgeon if he had to.

Now that he could see, he looked at his arm. There were a few punctures that were weeping blood, and he reached into the tent to pull his blanket free and pressed it to the wound. He had some antiseptic in the form of a small bottle of whiskey in his pack, as well as a bandage or two. He hoped it was enough, since coyote wounds were notorious for becoming infected quickly.

Patching himself up didn’t take long, although he had to bite back a groan when he doused the punctures with the alcohol. The stuff burned. After, he considered trying to go back to sleep but knew he’d have to deal with the carcasses of the animals before he did, and that was just really too much work.

Still, he was tired, so he stared off into the fire and lost himself, waiting for the sun to rise so he could see what he was doing. He lost himself in the flames, not thinking anything in particular. He didn’t hear the footsteps as they approached, nor did he notice the pink in the sky.

“How bad is the arm?” Oscar asked, startling Mickey. He turned and looked blearily up at his father, who crouched next to him to look at the bandages.

“Not bad. Leather stopped most of it.” Mickey said wearily. He tried to keep the exhaustion from his voice and failed. Maybe this was a little harder than he thought.

“Any other injuries?” Oscar looked over his son and Mickey shook his head.

“No. Just the arm.”

Oscar pulled his own pack off his shoulders and dug through it and pulled out two bottles, one of water and another bottle of pills. He dumped two of the pills into his hand and passed the water and pills to Mickey. Mickey took them and swallowed it without question. They were either a pain reliever or some type of antibiotic, as hard as those were to find these days.

“I’ll clear the bodies. Go grab a bit more sleep.” Oscar ordered gently, standing back up. The sky was getting lighter, and normally they’d be preparing to travel. Mickey didn’t want to question it though, so he turned and moved into the tent and groaned when he saw the body of the first coyote.

“I’ll get it. Sleep.” Oscar said, a little firmer this time. Mickey just collapsed onto his bedroll and drifted off.

It seemed like a short time later Oscar was shaking him awake. Mickey blinked in the light of day and groaned.

“It’s time to get up, son.” Oscar said, and left the tent again. Mickey wanted to stay and sleep more, but he knew they had to move. The desert during the day, even in the spring, could be deadly.

As soon as the gear was packed, they headed off again, in the direction of home. Mickey set his jaw and ignored his exhaustion. He could sleep when he got home. He was too tired to think, so he didn’t, just focused on their journey.

About an hour into their journey, Oscar spoke up.

“I’m proud of the way you handled that. Do you know why I left?” Oscar asked. Mickey knew why, but he didn’t want to think about the best way to answer the question. But he was expecting an answer, so Mickey stopped walking for a moment to give a reply.

“I need to be able to handle this on my own. I won’t always have a partner.”

“Yes. But, you also won’t always have an easy weapon. You need to improvise and adapt to survive. Especially the farther into the wasteland you go. We’re only a short trip from home, but you’ll be hours or days away from any kind of resupply. You need to be prepared for that.” Oscar stopped with Mickey. Mickey nodded, understanding the lesson.

“I understand. Can we get home now? Mom’s already going to lose it when she sees this, I don’t want to worry her by sleeping for a day and a half.” Mickey nodded and they continued on, following landmarks they knew back to their settlement.

“Sleep as long as you need. I’ll take your watch tomorrow.” Oscar told him, which surprised Mickey. Usually he was always pushing Mickey to take care of his duties, despite any illness or injury. Dad was always pushing him to his limits and beyond, and after Mickey recuperated from whatever test he took, he was grateful for the lesson.

“What about mom?”

“I guess I’ll have to keep her preoccupied, won’t I?”

“Ugh. Come on, Dad.”

Oscar laughed and threw his arm around his son’s shoulders. They continued on with smiles on their faces.

* * *

 

This was one of Mickey’s fondest memories of his father, a memory that kept him warm even when the Legion threatened to break him. It was one he clung to in his darkest nights, when he missed his father and his guidance the most. It was the moment that told his father he was ready for the bigger lessons. He was ready to start training to be a ranger. Not long after, Oscar took Mickey out for his first long-distance trip with some of the other rangers and their children.

Nothing would ever top the time he spent one on one with his father, not until Caroline was born two years later.

 


End file.
